Serafina looked at Anita. “Why do you want us to leave?”
“Because with Cliff gone… I’m just not sure what the outcome is going to be.” Anita glanced at Grant and Austin. “It’s down to Grant and Austin, if Cliff doesn’t come back.” She’d said it. She’d said it out loud. Serafina felt sick. “And with the sabotage on the obstacle course…no matter how carefully they check over it…what if something happened to both Grant and Austin today? Or even just to Grant? Austin’s very tough, yes, but Jerrold knows how to provoke him, and he’s sloppy and undisciplined.”
“No he isn’t,” Serafina said automatically, because he was her favorite uncle, but she knew that Anita was right. “You’re afraid that if Cliff doesn’t come back…Jerrold might win and then he’d…take me.”
Anita nodded wearily. “Yes. We already sent our children away for a little visit with their cousins…in Wyoming. Early this morning. If Jerrold wins, they’ll stay there. He’s going to take his vengeance on me and James for helping Leota, but our children will be safe.”
Serafina saw that Anita had bluish circles under her eyes.
“Why didn’t you go too?”
Anita sighed. “Our place is with the pack.”
“Is Leota still here?”
Anita smiled faintly. “No comment.”
Serafina frowned. “I can’t leave until Roger gets back. I just can’t, Anita. But you should take Roger.”
“Without you and Roger?No.” Dax said it so fiercely that Serafina knew there was no way they’d be able to convince him. He’d pitch a screaming fit and attract too much attention if they tried to drag him away.
“Serafina, let’s go get something to eat,” Anita said in a light tone, and Serafina looked up and saw that Jerrold was strolling towards them.
“Oh, Serafiiiiina. I can’t wait to get to know you better,” Jerrold said in a high, sing-song voice. “Did you know that an Alpha can take as many mates as he likes? We’re going to beso close.”
The Elder Juliette hurried over and moved in front of him as Serafina and Roger climbed to their feet and stepped behind Anita.
“Trolling for dates in middle school?” Juliette hissed. “Not on my watch.”
“I don’t need to show you any respect, you old bitch, because I already know you’ll vote against me if there’s a tie,” Jerrold said in a low, vicious voice. “So if you want to keep breathing after I become Alpha, you’d better move out of my way now.”
Elders Minnie, Sylvester, and Oswald stood staring at them. Not doing anything. Herbert and Maurice were across the field, and they started moving towards them. Unfortunately, Jerrold hadn’t done anything they could act on. He never did.
He was just being creepy, and he kept glancing in Austin’s direction hoping he’d notice, but Grant had managed to get a whole group of men gathered around Austin to distract him.
And Grant didn’t care enough about Serafina to get upset, no matter what Jerrold did to her. He didn’t care about anyone except himself.
“You insolent pup,” Juliette snarled. “In my day—”
“In your day? When you were getting lucky with Tutankhamun? Move your sagging—”
“Look!” Roger shouted, and pointed at the sky. They’d all gotten so distracted that they hadn’t noticed the helicopter approaching.
There were eight minutes left.
Cliff’s Sikorski S92, a sixteen-seater helicopter, swooped down and landed, throwing up dust. Cliff hurried out with Truman and Taylor and Dax… The wolves poured out of the helicopter, and Serafina felt her heart leap in her chest.
Jerrold looked as if he’d just swallowed a toad. He whirled around and stormed off.
“Yeah, you better run!” Roger shouted after him.
Austin and Grant ran full speed over to Cliff as Anita hurried forward. Everyone climbing off the chopper was covered with blood and dirt and leaves. They looked exhausted but triumphant. Rusty carried Chantelle off the helicopter. Her arms were around his neck and her head rested on his shoulder, and she was the color of Ivory soap.
But they were alive. And they were home. Serafina let out a long, trembling breath of relief.
Jerrold looked at Rusty with an expression that promised terrible vengeance. He ran over to them, his men following close behind. They held him back when he tried to lunge at Rusty.
“You fucking traitor,” he raged. “It was you. You were the one who hit Leota in the face to frame me, weren’t you?” he spat at him. “You helped her leave me. Not for long. I’ll hunt her down. And after I win, I’m going to make Chantelle play jump rope with your intestines before I strangle her with them.”
